The Baby
by MobBob
Summary: A Request: Angie gets pregnant, but the father is the nephew of a mob boss and refuses to pay any support. Thus Peggy must go and try to muscle him into paying his dues. However, unknown to her, Dottie has her own plans for Angie's baby.
1. Chapter 1

The night was dark and cold. A cool breeze ran through the trees, the leaves rippling. Dottie followed the path to the cabin, the headlights of her car illuminating the road. When she reached the cabin, she looked up at the sky. It was covered in a thick layer of clouds. The only light was the crescent moon, peaking out from behind the clouds. She got out of the car and went to the trunk. She opened it and picked a black bag out of it. She went inside the cabin and plopped it down on a table in the middle of the kitchen. She opened it up, inspecting the contents inside. She laid them out on the table. She picked up a stethoscope and polished it off a bit. She pulled out a pair of forceps and some gauze. Dottie inspected them and made sure that they were all nice and clean. Once she was confident that they were all in order, she placed them back in the bag where they had been. She then went to a back room of the cabin. She went inside to inspect the bed. She made sure the sheets were nice and clean, the pillow soft. There was a window. She made sure to close it so the room didn't get too drafty. Once that was done, she went over to the nightstand and opened it. From out of the nightstand, she pulled out a few pairs of handcuffs and attached them to the posts of the bed. She made sure they were well bound to the posts. She didn't want anyone to escape from there.

* * *

Angie was still asleep. Peggy had made sure not to wake her. She gently tiptoed through their room, carrying her shoes with her. She put them on until she got to the door. As she was about to leave, Peggy leaned down to Angie and kissed her on the forehead. Angie mumbled in her sleep. Peggy took her hand and rubbed Angie's belly. It had been something of a ritual for Peggy. Ever since Angie had gotten pregnant, Peggy had been doing this as some sort of good luck charm.

Peggy remembered the time Angie had first told her. Peggy's face was turning red. "So what you're saying is that you're pregnant, you haven't told your parents, and the father isn't even willing to pay you a dime. And you're fine with this?"

"I didn't say I was fine with this," said Angie. "I said I don't really have that much of a choice."

"You could go to this man and make him do the honorable thing," said Peggy.

"I can't," said Angie. "His uncle is vicious. In the last month he killed three mob bosses."

So, with Angie unwilling to do anything, Peggy decided it was up to her to do something. She knew the man who had impregnated Angie, Mario Manfredi, had an uncle who was a gangster, Don Manfredi. Peggy learned that Don Manfredi had taken over Spider Raymond's old club after he had died. A local story had circulated about how Spider had been seeing Manfredi's mistress, a beautiful blonde. Manfredi had found out and decided to pay a visit to Spider's club and blow his brains out. These stories always amused Peggy.

When Peggy got into the club, it was the middle of the day and the club was empty. The only people there were workers, cleaning up after last night's party. They didn't pay much attention to Peggy. They probably figured she was one of Don Manfredi's mistresses. The Don himself was sitting at a table, surrounded by some of his associates, bodyguards, and his nephew. Don Manfredi was telling them all about one of his kills. "So Spider's looking me right in the face and he's shaking. He shaking so hard that he drops his cigar. And he's begging. He's begging for his life and he's telling me he'll do anything I ask. But I see he's reaching for his gun with his other hand and I know what's up. So I pull the trigger and put a bullet in that n-"

"Excuse me?" Peggy cleared her throat.

The men looked up at her. Don Manfredi raised an eyebrow as he stared at her. "Can we help you?"

"Yes," said Peggy. "I'm here to talk to Mario Manfredi."

"I see." Don Manfredi grinned. "Well it doesn't look like you're showing."

"What?" said Peggy.

"You want my nephew?" said Don Manfredi.

"Yes," said Peggy.

"And that's because he's gotten you pregnant, or your sister, or a friend," said Don Manfredi. "Am I wrong?"

"No," said Peggy. "It's my friend, Angela Martinelli."

Mario looked nervous. "There's probably lots of people with that name. How do you know that-"

Don Manfredi put his hand over Mario's. "Relax Mario. I'll take care of it like I did last time."

Mario smiled. "Thank you uncle."

"Don't mention it." Don Manfredi then preceded to slap Mario across the face. "Just don't let it happen again."

"I won't," said Mario as he rubbed his cheek.

Don Manfredi turned to Peggy. "Look let's get down to business. Whatever you were hoping to get out of this visit, forget it. You've still got your accent, so I assume you're new here. I'll forgive you for not knowing who you're dealing with."

Peggy didn't leave. "And what about my friend?"

Don Manfredi sighed. "Maybe when he grows up and needs a job he can come to me. I'll let him be a waiter."

"How noble," said Peggy.

"Leave now or I can make things worse for you," said Don Manfredi.

Peggy laughed. "And what if I don't? What will you do?"

"Alright." Don Manfredi looked to his bodyguards and snapped his fingers. "Shoot her. Now."

* * *

Angie sat at the kitchen table, drumming her fingers against the wood. Peggy hadn't been there when she had woken up. She asked Jarvis and Howard if they knew anything, but Peggy hadn't told them anything about what she was doing. Angie had rummaged through Peggy's things and found a notebook with a list of phone numbers. Angie had called them, but she got no leads. The only thing Angie could do was wait and hope the Peggy would come back soon. Angie prayed that Peggy hadn't gone to see Don Manfredi. Peggy rarely showed any fear. Angie had always admired that about her, but now it could easily get her killed. Angie clasped her hands together and practically begged God to protect Peggy. Angie had just promised that she would never miss a mass as long as she lived, when she heard the doorknob turn.

Angie shot up. "Oh god Peg. I was just about-"

However Peggy wasn't the one who had opened the door. No, it was Dottie, who was holding a gun that she pointed at Angie's belly. "Hey Angie. Long time no see."


	2. Chapter 2

It's a strange feeling when someone is pointing a gun at you. Your heart starts to race and time seems to slow down. Currently, Peggy was facing two large men who were pointing sawed-off shotguns at her, their fingers on the trigger. Don Manfredi sat in his chair, smiling like the cat that ate the canary. While his associates ran to avoid the oncoming gun fight, he just sat there taking it all in. Peggy could feel the sweat beading on her forehead. She could hear them cock their weapons. Her first instinct was to run. She ducked under a table as she heard the sound of their guns firing. A huge blast rang through the air. The workers who were stocking the bar ran for cover just in time to avoid the pellets that peppered the room.

Peggy overturned the table and ducked behind it. She heard the sound of glass breaking as they were hit by the shot. A small shard of glass embedded itself in her elbow. It was not big, but it did hurt. She heard the men cock their guns again and fire. The shots punched holes in the table and Peggy ran a new hiding place. She got under a table just in time to avoid another blast, though just barely. She could practically feel on of the pellets whiz by her ear, probably taking off some of her skin. She could hear the men run up to her. Peggy quickly grabbed a chair and tossed it at the closest of the two men.

* * *

Angie stood in her apartment, completely frozen with fear. Dottie continued to point her gun at Angie's belly, still smiling. "I always heard you Italians liked your spaghetti."

Angie put her hand over her belly. "Please don't shoot me! I'm pregnant!"

"Relax," said Dottie. "I won't shoot you. So long as you do what I say. Understand?"

* * *

The man fell back as the chair hit him and shattered. He dropped his gun to the ground. Peggy rushed for it before he had a chance to recover from the chair. The other man saw this and fired another shot at her. Peggy dodged it by hiding behind the stunned man. He was soon perforated by pellets, his body reduced to a ground up mass of flesh. Blood splatter covered the room. One pellet hit Peggy in her arm, though fortunately it missed any major veins. She tossed the dead body at the remaining gunman and picked up the shotgun. She turned to Don Manfredi and pointed the gun at him. "Now are you going to make your nephew do the right thing or will I decorate the walls with your brains?"

Don Manfredi chuckled. "You've never used a lupara before, have you?"

"What do you mean?" said Peggy.

"That gun only hold two rounds," said Don Manfredi. "And Jimmy just fired both of them. The only thing that's good for is as a club."

* * *

Dottie lead Angie down to a car parked outside her apartment. Angie was shaking all the way there. Dottie had put her arm around her, putting the gun back in her purse. Of course Dottie could easily snap Angie's neck with her bare hands. While they approached the car, they passed a policeman. Dottie proceeded to lean in and whispered into Angie's ear. "Smile now or I'll kill you."

Angie smiled and let out a giggle, pretending to laugh at whatever Dottie had told her. If one listened closely to her, one would think that it sounded like Angie was crying. However, the policeman didn't seem to notice and went on his merry way. They reached the car and Dottie shepherded Angie in. She started the car and headed down the street. Angie felt like breaking down and crying right there, but she didn't. That would give Dottie too much pleasure. She would enjoy the a front row seat as Angie begged for mercy. Dottie continued down the street and turned into an industrial neighborhood filled with warehouses. She stopped at an empty parking lot and pulled the gun out of her purse. She pointed it to Angie. "Okay, now get in the trunk."

"What?" said Angie, still in a bit of a state of shock.

"Get in the trunk," said Dottie. "I don't want you to see where we're going and this will raise a lot less question than if I made you wear a bag over your head. Now get in the trunk."

"Alright." Angie got out of the car. Dottie followed her, keeping the barrel of the gun pressed to her back. She continued to the back of the car and Dottie opened the trunk of the car. She pointed inside and Angie slid in there. She curled up into a ball, making sure to cover her baby with her hands. Angie heard the sound of Dottie slamming the trunk and soon she could feel the car starting to move. Angie let out a little whimper as she rubbed her stomach.

* * *

Peggy pulled the trigger. Don Manfredi was right. Of course he was right. She was about to take Manfredi's advice and bash in his head, when she heard a thud. She turned around and saw that the remaining man had gotten out from under the dead body. He charged at her, holding his gun over his head. He swung it at Peggy. She held up her hands and blocked it. She took her gun and swung it at him. He blocked it with his arm and swung again at Peggy. Peggy blocked this blow with her gun. The force of the blow forced her to drop the weapon. The man pushed her up against the wall, raising his gun over Peggy's head. Peggy kneed the man in his stomach. The man reeled back. Peggy took this opportunity to wrestle the gun from his hands and hit him over the head. He fell to the ground. Peggy turned to Manfredi. "Got anymore bodyguards for me or are you going to face me yourself?"

"If you insist." Manfredi stood up from his chair and pulled a knife from his pocket.


	3. Chapter 3

Angie huddled in the trunk of the car, stroking her belly. They hit a bump and Angie held her belly tight, protecting it from the bump. Dottie had been driving for at least an hour. Angie had heard the sound of other cars outside of the trunk, telling her that she was still in the city. However, after awhile those noises had died down. They were in the countryside at this point. Angie didn't know how to feel. While she dreaded what was going to happen when Dottie stopped, she knew that the further they got from the city, the less likely it would be for someone could stop her. Angie stroked her belly and muttered under her breath. "Don't worry. It'll be fine."

* * *

Peggy dodged Don Manfredi's knife as he swung it through the air. She almost managed to avoid it, but the knife caught her on the shoulder, leaving a cut across it. Peggy didn't feel any pain, only the warmth of her blood as it start to bead up on her shoulder. She proceeded to throw a kick at Manfredi. However, he caught her leg in midair and threw a kick at her other leg, knocking Peggy to the ground. She grunted as she hit the floor. She felt something sticking in her back, maybe a piece of glass. Peggy didn't have time to check. She rolled to the side, avoiding Don Manfredi's blade as he stabbed it into the floor.

Peggy jumped to her feet, picking the shard of glass from her back. She turned to Don Manfredi, who had his knife drawn. He stabbed at Peggy, missing but not by much. He advanced, threatening to corner her. Peggy quickly grabbed a chair, using it to shield her from the knife thrusts. Manfredi's knife swung at Peggy and she held up the chair to protect herself. He stabbed at her, getting the knife embedding in the chair. Don Manfredi tried to pull the knife out, but it was stuck. She threw the chair at Manfredi, knocking him back. Taking her chance, Peggy charged at him.

* * *

Eventually, Angie could feel the car stopping. She heard Dottie get out of the car and open the trunk. She pointed the gun at Angie's belly again. "Get out."

Angie did what she said, not wanting to anger her. As she got out, she shook, barely able to hold herself up. Angie looked around, desperately trying to get her bearings. They were in the middle of the woods, with the car parked in front of a cabin. The cabin looked old, the windows dusty as if no one had bothered to clean them. Angie knew they were in the middle of nowhere. It was very unlikely that anyone would stumble on them. Dottie prodded her with the barrel of her gun, shoving her forward. "Just give me a second."

"Okay," said Dottie. "That was your second. Now go."

"Alright. No need to do anything hasty." Angie could feel Dottie press the barrel of her gun deeper in her back. Angie walked forward to the cabin.

* * *

Peggy knocked Don Manfredi to the ground. His knife was still stuck in the chair, leaving him completely unarmed. She pinned him, or at least she tried to pin him. He managed to free one of his arms, and managed to wrench Peggy off of him. Manfredi rolled on top of Peggy and put his hand on her throat. He pressed down on her windpipe. Peggy kicked at him, desperately trying to get him off. He refused, pressing down harder. Peggy gasped for air, realizing that she needed to get him off as soon as possible. She flailed her arms and legs, but to no avail. Soon she began to feel dizzy, black dots appearing in her field of vision.

* * *

Dottie herded Angie into the cabin. It was bare. Aside from some weapons and a black bag that had been left out on the table, you couldn't tell that someone had been living there. A thick layer of dust covered everything. Cobwebs were hung in the hallway, but they were so old that the spiders who made them were nowhere to be seen, probably long dead. Angie stood in the middle of the cabin for a moment, taking in the emptiness and the state of decay that had set in over the years. She felt Dottie lower the gun barrel from her back.

Angie briefly breathed a sigh of relief. Dottie went over to the table, placing the gun by the bag. In that moment, she thought about running away. Maybe she could make it to the car and drive back home. Almost as soon as she thought it, she dismissed the idea. Even if she knew who to get back to the city, she couldn't outrun Dottie. Angie just stood there, waiting for Dottie's next command. Dottie grabbed the black bag and turned to Angie, smiling. That smile chilled Angie to her bones.

* * *

Peggy collapsed to the ground. After minutes of struggling, she had given up and went limp. Don Manfredi got up. He dusted himself off and kicked Peggy's body. When she didn't react. He went back to his table, limping. He stopped to lean on a chair, wiping the blood that leaked from his nose. He turned back to Peggy's, only to see that she was no long laying on the floor. No, instead she was standing on her feet, though looking as if she would fall over. Don Manfredi laughed. "Jesus, you can take a beating. What's it take to kill you?"

Peggy smiled. "Maybe you can find out?"

"I'm up for that." Don Manfredi charged at Peggy.

* * *

Dottie pushed Angie to a bedroom in the back of the cabin. Like everything else in the cabin, it was bare. The only thing besides the bed, was a set of handcuffs attached to the posts of the bed. Angie turned to Dottie. "Get on the bed."

"Alright." Angie lay on the bed, extending her arms to allow Dottie to put the handcuffs around her wrists and ankles.

Dottie rubbed Angie's feet and legs. "Ooh, I've never done this with a girl before."


	4. Chapter 4

Dottie ran her hands over Angie's belly. She was gentle, patting Angie occasionally. There was a curious look on her face. If it wasn't for the handcuffs, it would seem as if she was genuinely concerned about Angie baby. For all Angie knew, maybe she was. Angie was trying to hold back her trembling as Dottie did this. Dottie's finger felt Angie's skin, pressing down with barely any force at all. Finally she looked up and made eye contact with Angie. "Do you want a boy or a girl?"

Angie bit her lip and took a while to respond. "I don't care. As long as it's healthy."

"Really?" said Dottie, raising an eyebrow. "You don't care at all?"

Angie's heart pounded. "I guess maybe I would rather have a girl. That would be more familiar for me."

"Makes sense." Dottie turned her attention back to Angie's belly, continuing to stroke it. Angie looked at her face, trying to read some emotion off of it. Nothing. Just the look of someone engrossed with Angie's baby.

* * *

Don Manfredi didn't give Peggy enough time to catch her breath. Though he seemed equally worn out, so the battle was pretty much even. He threw a punch at her, which she blocked. She then followed this up with a kick to his limping leg. He knew she would do this, pulling his leg back and grabbing her's. He tripped her to the ground and proceeded to stomp on her knee. Peggy heard a cracking sound and felt a rush of pain. She retaliated by kicking Manfredi's good leg. His leg snapped and he fell to his knees.

* * *

Angie didn't know when it happened. She had been trying to keep herself together, but despite her best efforts, tears were running down her cheeks. The handcuffs prevented her from wiping them off. Dottie noticed this. "Oh don't cry now. The fun's just getting started."

Angie could see that Dottie was enjoying this, a wicked smirk forming on her face. Dottie got up and began to tug at Angie's clothes. Angie wanted to punch her so badly right now. She thought about hitting her so hard that it would smash her teeth into tiny pieces. Angie could feel a buzz of pleasure at the back of her mind. It wasn't much, but it was a light of hope that Angie could cling to.

* * *

Even with both his legs broken, Don Manfredi refused to give up. When Peggy tried to kick him with her remaining leg, he grabbed it and delivered a swift punch to her knee. She muscled through the pain and shot up. She threw a punch at him, which he blocked. Peggy wondered if he had served. He took her arm, and with a swift punch, he shattered it. Peggy threw another punch, this one making contact. Manfredi was knocked to the floor and temporarily stunned. Peggy took her chance and wrestled him to the ground.

She worked fast, trying to break his arms before he could react. This was harder than usual as one of her arms was broken. She first focused on his right hand. She guessed that was his preferred hand. She lifted the arm up and banged it against the leg of a nearby chair. It broke was a loud cracking noise. Manfredi responded with a punch to Peggy's throat. Apparently he preferred his left hand. She gasped for breath and Manfredi took this as his chance to roll her over and pin her to the ground.

* * *

Dottie stood over Angie's now naked body. In her hand she had a black bag. She opened it up. Angie's heart practically skipped a beat as Dottie put her hand in it. When she pulled out, she was holding a stethoscope. Dottie took the end and breathed softly on it. She pressed it against Angie's belly. It was still a little warm from Dottie's breath. She turned to Angie. "Don't worry. It'll only hurt a bit."

* * *

Manfredi grabbed Peggy's remaining arm and prepared to smash it Peggy struggled. She was able to get her arm partially free, but Manfredi was too strong. He prepared to ram her arm against the chair leg. Peggy gave one last tug, partially freeing her arm, but Manfredi's grip was unbreakable. However, Peggy could move her hand a bit. She grabbed Manfredi's right hand with all her might. This got Manfredi to cry out in pain and let go. Peggy delivered a punch to his stomach and wrestled herself on top of him.

With her remaining arm, she smashed his left arm against the chair leg. She smiled as she heard it crack. With her arm, she pinned him to the floor. "Now Don Manfredi, about my friend."

"What about her?" said Manfredi as he proceeded to headbutt Peggy.

* * *

Dottie listened to the stethoscope, hearing the sounds of the baby's heartbeat. After a while she looked up at Angie. "Sounds like the baby's healthy. Oh darn."

Angie squirmed. It was getting uncomfortable, or at least more uncomfortable than usual. The cuffs seemed to be getting tighter, her hands going numb. Dottie got up and walked over to Angie's clothes. She stopped briefly and turned back to Angie. She walked back over to Angie. Angie's heart was racing. Dottie leaned down and put her hand on Angie's thigh. Angie shuddered. "What are you doing?"

"I know the baby's healthy," said Dottie. "I just want to see if you're okay to deliver it."

"No!" Angie pulled so hard against the cuffs that she thought she might break them.

Dottie only laughed. "The cuffs are too strong. Stop that silly."

"You can't do that to me!" said Angie.

Dottie sighed. "Just let it happen. It'll be over soon."

"Fuck you!" said Angie.

* * *

By this point, Peggy had only one free hand. The only thing she could do was to press down on Manfredi's throat and try to choke him out. She struggled at first, refusing to go out easily. Peggy only pressed down harder, robbing him of breath. A few times it looked like he might knock her off, but she held firm. Finally the Don choked out. "Okay, I give up. How much does your friend want?"

"Finally," said Peggy as she collapsed to the floor, completely drained of energy.


	5. Chapter 5

When Peggy woke up, she was laying on a table. Both her legs and her arm ached. She turned her head, hoping to get her bearings. She was that she was in a bare room, that was dark. The door to the room was a jar, providing the only light. Based on the sounds she heard and what she saw, Peggy would have guessed that she was in the back room of a kitchen. She looked down and realized that her arm and legs were bandaged in casts. She tried to move her body to see if she could get herself off the table. She touched her foot to the ground and cried out in pain.

As soon as she did so, a big man walked into the room. He was carrying something in his hand, which she couldn't make out. Peggy's heart raced, knowing that she was in no condition to fight him off. She raised her one good hand, hoping that it would give her some sort of protection from the inevitable attack that never came. Instead the man handed her a telephone. "Don Manfredi realizes that you might need help getting around. He will allow you to use his phone to call someone who can drive you to your home."

Peggy grabbed the phone, thinking of who to call. "And what about the money he promised?"

"Your friend will get the money she has been promised," said the man. "The Don is a man of honor."

"I'm sure he is." Eventually Peggy decided on someone to call and dialed the number. She wanted to tap her foot against the floor, waiting for the operator to hook her up, but she was immediately reminded that her leg was broken. Finally the phone picked up. "Howard, I need your help."

"Peg," said Howard. "We've been looking all over for you."

"I'm at Spider Raymond's old club and I need to get home," said Peggy.

"Yeah, I'll send Jarvis by there," said Howard. "But Peg, there's something I've got to tell you."

"What is it?" Peggy could sense the urgency in his voice. A feeling of worry crept up on her.

"It's Angie," said Howard.

* * *

With both his arms and legs being banged, Don Manfredi was sitting by a table. His men were frantically working to repair the damage done from the fight. Peggy was impressed at the progress they were making. They had already cleaned the blood and replaced the broken chairs. Mario was sitting by his uncle. He had two black eyes and his nose had tissues shoved in them to soak up the blood. On the table was a bag, presumably filled with the money he owed Angie. As Peggy hobbled up to them, Don Manfredi noticed her. "Ah you're awake. As you can see, I am a man of...what are you doing?"

With her one good arm, Peggy had pinned Mario to the wall of the club. Mario struggled, trying to knock Peggy off of him. "Hey! Get off me!"

Peggy pressed down harder. "Tell me, how many women have there been. This wasn't the first time you got one pregnant. What did you do to them? Did you have your uncle scare them off?"

Don Manfredi stood up, or at least he tried to. "Get your hands off my nephew!"

Peggy laughed. "Oh I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to hurt your precious nephew. He's such a fine young man. So fine that he won't even take care of his own child."

"I said get your hands off him." Don Manfredi reached from his gun, though he only managed to fumble it with his broken arm.

Peggy finally let go of Mario. He rubbed his throat. "Thanks uncle-"

"Shut up," said Don Manfredi. "I don't want to hear another word from your mouth. You're the reason I'm in this mess."

Peggy glared at him. "Oh I'm so sorry. I didn't realize how this has affected you."

"I sense something's wrong," said Don Manfredi.

"It's Angie," said Peggy.

"Who?" said Mario.

Peggy smacked him across the face. "Who's Angie? She's the woman you impregnated."

"Oh," said Mario.

"What's happened to her?" said Don Manfredi.

"She's missing," said Peggy. "It looks like someone took her."

"I see." The Don quickly motioned to his men. "Sonny, Vito, Michael!"

Soon the three men appeared. "Yes boss."

"There's a situation that needs my attention," said Don Manfredi. "Considering my current predicament, I'm going to need you to help me to get around."

"Sure thing." Two of the men put the Don's arms around their shoulders and lifted him up.

"What are you doing?" said Peggy.

"You told me that Mario's baby is in trouble," said Don Manfredi. "I am simply giving my assistance."

"I don't need your help," said Peggy.

Don Manfredi smiled. "Too bad. This baby is my blood and I take care of my blood."

Mario looked around with a confused look on his face. "So does this mean I'm in charge of the club?"

"No," said Don Manfredi. "You're coming with us."

Mario's jaw dropped. "What?"

"You've got to learn how to protect your son," said the Don.

"Or daughter," said Peggy.

"Hopefully it's a son," said Don Manfredi.


	6. Chapter 6

Dottie pulled her hand out of Angie, taking the gloves off her hands. "Calm down! I can't work with you thrashing around."

Angie tried kicking Dottie, but the handcuffs stopped her. However, she was able to provide enough resistance to annoy Dottie, who was forced to stop. "Fine, you don't want to cooperate. Well, I've got something just for you."

"What are you going to do to me?" Angie yelled at Dottie, but it was no use. Dottie had already left to get whatever she planned to use on her.

* * *

Don Manfredi stood in the corner of the room, propped up against a chair. Next to him was Mario. He had been given a lupara, but kept fumbling and Sonny had to take it away. Peggy was next to them. In front of them were Jarvis and Howard. When Don Manfredi found out that Peggy knew Howard, his face lit up. Apparently the two were friends. Of course, Howard was less than thrilled to see his old friend, trying to avoid eye contact.

Peggy cleared her throat. "So what do you know?"

"Well there doesn't seem to be any sign of a struggle," said Howard. "Doesn't seem to be any break-in either. Someone she knew or someone who knew how to get in the house."

"Dottie?" said Peggy.

"That's my first thought," said Howard.

"We tried calling her family," said Jarvis.

"Yeah, that didn't go anywhere," said Howard. "Though her mom now thinks I'm the father."

"What do we do now?" said Peggy,

Both of them had a grim expression on their faces. Jarvis was the first to speak. "So, it appears we're at a dead end."

"There must be something you haven't thought off," said Peggy. "What about Dr. Fennhoff? Maybe we can cut him a deal?"

"You know we can't trust him," said Howard.

"Well we've got to do something!" Peggy slammed her fist against the wall. "I'm not going to just stand around here waiting for-"

"Did you see this twig." Mario leaned down and picked up a twig from the floor. "I don't know, maybe this is a-"

"Mario," said Don Manfredi. "There are literally millions of twigs in the city."

"Wait, the woods," said Peggy. "I think I might know where she is."

"You know where she is?" said Howard. "Just because of a twig?"

"Dr. Fennoff had a man working for him," said Peggy. "He lived in a cabin in the woods. We arrested him and now the cabin's empty."

Don Manfredi looked nervous. "Wait, wait, wait. Who is this we who is arresting people?"

"That's where she's keeping Angie," said Peggy. "I'm sure of it."

Howard sighed. "Peggy, I get it. You're desperate. You're grasping at-"

"Howard, just call Daniel and tell him to get some men down there," said Peggy. "It can't hurt to at least investigate it."

"Are you a fed?" said Don Manfredi.

"Just do it Howard!" said Peggy.

"Alright, alright." Howard motioned for Jarvis to go off and make the call.

Mario looked around the room. "So that twig was really useful. Right?"

* * *

Peggy sat next to Don Manfredi in the backseat of the car. This was probably done to prevent Peggy from yelling at Jarvis from the passenger seat. Of course Peggy simply yelled at Jarvis from the backseat. Howard rolled his eyes. "Calm down Peg. He's driving as fast as he can."

"We need to get there faster!" said Peggy. "Every second counts."

"We're almost there," said Jarvis. "Look, there's Daniel."

Jarvis stopped the car right next to where Daniel and several SSR agents were. Jarvis got out of the car, making a gesture in his hand to suggest he was going to handle things. However, Peggy got out of the car and hobbled over to Daniel, who looked shocked. "What happened to you?"

"I'll tell you about it later," said Peggy. "It's not important now. How are things going?"

"We've surrounded the cabin," said Daniel. "We're about to go in."

"Good," said Peggy, heading toward the SSR men.

Daniel put a hand on Peggy's shoulder. "Where are you going?"

"To rescue my friend," said Peggy.

"Not in that shape," said Daniel. "Stay here, we've got everything under control."

Just then a car full of Manfredi's men pulled up. Daniel raised an eyebrow. "Who are they?"

"They're some friends who happened to be in the area," said Manfredi from the car. "They just so happen to want to help."

* * *

Angie was shaking. Above her stood Dottie, a needle in hand and a smile on her face. "Please, I'll be good. Just don't inject me with that. Please. I don't want you to hurt the baby."

"Shhh. Time to go to sleep. Have a good night." Dottie lowered the needle to Angie, about to inject her, when suddenly the door to the cabin was broken down. Dottie dropped the syringe. "What the-"

A shot rang out, almost hitting Dottie. She dodged it, but another shot came. Dottie jumped out the window. Angie couldn't believe what was happening. As soon as Dottie was gone a man walked in. Angie didn't recognize him. He just stared at her. "Are you okay?"

Angie broke out in tears.

* * *

Peggy leaned against the car, Don Manfredi next to her. Mario was with the other men, attacking the cabin. Manfredi was following his nephew's progress. "Kids these days, don't even know how to handle a gun. I told his pop to teach him, but he'd have nothing of it."

"Yes," said Peggy. "I suppose that is important that you teach your son to be a proper gangster."

Don Manfredi chuckled. "I see you don't think much of our way of life."

"Way of life?" said Peggy.

"Yeah," said Don Manfredi. "Isn't it? Most people go to the police when they've got problems. We prefer to settle them between ourselves."

"Is putting a bullet in someone's head really the best way to solve your problems?" said Peggy.

"It feels good," said Don Manfredi. "I remember the night I killed Spider Raymond. It felt so...why are you laughing?"

"Oh, no reason," said Peggy. Just then they heard the gun shot. "They're shooting. What if Angie gets caught in the middle."

At that point they saw that Dottie had broken through the window. Mario raised his gun and shot at her. He missed, much to Manfredi's annoyance. "I'm going to have to teach that boy a thing or two."

Dottie ran across the field, dodging gunfire. She headed straight to the cars, where Peggy was. A rush of adrenaline came over Peggy. As Dottie came closer to them she felt like she could just knock her face in with one punch. She positioned herself in Dottie's way, ready to strike her. She raised her arm, ready to punch. Unfortunately she didn't have the ability to maintain her balance and feel face forward to the ground. Dottie smiled as she got to Peggy. "Oh poor Peg. Here, let me-"

Another shot rang out, this time grazing Dottie's shoulder. It didn't do much, but it convinced Dottie to get going. She quickly found a car and hot-wired it. Peggy heard the sound of her driving off. She cursed herself for not being about to stop her. Peggy didn't stay like this for long. Soon Sonny came and picked her up. He led her to the cabin where Angie was.

Angie was wrapped in a blanket. Next to her was Mario, still looking as clueless as ever. It took every fiber of Peggy's being to run up to her and wrapping her up in her arms. Angie looked up at Peggy. "Jesus English! What happened to you?"

Peggy ran up to Angie and hugged her, tears running down her eyes. "Oh Angie! I shouldn't have left you."

"It's fine," said Angie. "I heard what you did. Thanks. You know while I was in the cabin I thought of what I'd name the baby."

"Really?" said Peggy.

"Yeah," said Angie. "If it's a girl, I'm calling it Margaret. What do you think?"

Peggy laughed, wiping tears from her eyes. "I love it. And what if it's a boy?"

"Silvio," said Angie. "After my dad."

"Silvio Manfredi. I like it. A good strong Italian name." Don Manfredi was being carried by Micheal and Vito.

Peggy glared at him. "Excuse me for a moment, I need to discuss something with the Don."

* * *

Peggy met with Don Manfredi in a back room of the club. Outside she could still hear music playing. The two of them were alone. The Don sat on a chair, while Peggy propped herself up by the door. "So tell me, what do you plan to do with the baby?"

"What are you talking about?" said Don Manfredi. "This baby is my family. I take care of my family."

"Oh yes," said Peggy. "You introduce them to a life of crime. That's how you take care of them."

"I give them a life of fortune, free from living under the law," said Don Manfredi.

Peggy shook her head. "No, I'm not going let Angie's child end up on a slab in the morgue. You aren't touching it."

Don Manfredi sighed. "How about this, a compromise if you will."

Peggy raised an eyebrow. "What?"

"I won't come after the baby," said the Don. "But if he-"

"Or she," said Peggy.

The Don sighed. "Or she, comes to me, I will accept them into my ranks. How does that sit with you?"

Peggy bit her lip, mulling it over. Finally she extended her hand to the Don, who simply glared at her. "I accept."

"Good," said the Don.

Peggy smiled. "Of course, as soon as that baby is born I will do everything in my power to keep it out of your world."

"Go ahead," said the Don. "We'll see how that works out."


End file.
